Customer Reviews

Demon Possessed (Megan Chase, Book 3)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Psychologist Megan's been on the fence between the human and demon world but not planning on crossing over. Magan's gained some demonish powers but she's not willing to give up her humanity and take the final steps to become fully demon - even though she is more than happy in her relationship with her fire demon lover Grayson. But when the FBI start looking into demon affairs (the `FIBs' think that the demon are some sort of mob-like group) and assassins start trying to kill Megan, it quickly becomes clear that even though Megan thinks she's happy with the status quo - having her career and love too - she's going to have to make some tough decisions or risk losing her chance at happiness.

Demon Possessed brings Stacia Kane's trilogy to a close and in a great way. It runs the emotional gamut, as her relationship with Grayson gets shaken up when some unpleasant truths come to light - Megan goes from contentment to utter devastation. And since Demon Possessed is romantic urban fantasy there was not the same guarantee of a happily ever after that romance authors give us readers, so there were some nervous moments for me when things between Grayson and Megan go to heck.

I loved Grayson, and I loved the way that Megan is so observant, picking out little clues to his reactions. And I did enjoy the story and the resolution of all of Megan's problems. But what impressed me the most was that Kane managed to include some really steamy scenes between Megan and Grayson without resorting to super explicit language. Instead Kane takes advantage of their demon powers to bring a high level of emotional intensity to those scenes.

I really ended up liking Demon Possessed it was the best book of the series and I'm sorry that there won't be any more (at least for now).

ISBN: 9781439167618
I bought this book.

Book three in the Megan Chase series finds Megan, human ruler of a demon clan and psychiatrist, in more trouble. This time Megan is preparing for a big time demon meeting, where a cluster of inhuman beings will try to force her into performing a ceremony that would make her a full demon. It doesn't help that an FBI agent arrives at her office, offering immunity if she'll just testify against the other demons (most of whom run various illegal cartels, not to mention they all seem to attract bodies in large quantities), which includes Megan's rather serious boyfriend, fire demon Greyson Dante.
Megan finds unexpected pressure put on her relationship as the meeting starts, not from the FBI, but from the realization that if she is to have any future with him she will have to become a demon, or let him go forever. Balancing her wants against her needs, and the needs of her clan of "personal demons" is hard enough without the appearance of an angel, who is most definitely trying to kill her. Now Megan must find out who sent the angel, defeat it, decide whether she values her humanity or Greyson more and most importantly: Survive.
Demon Possessed is fast, a little confused at the beginning as all the threads present themselves but before they come together as one related plot. Megan is a bold urban fantasy heroine, who unlike others doesn't seem to be opposed to being rescued, married, and playing a female-oriented role, she just doesn't want to lose herself to other peoples' demands on her. As emotional as the previous book, Demon Inside, but focusing on Megan's future rather than her past, Demon Possessed is at times hard to stomach due to intensity of emotion, not intensity of graphic violence. But it's a good read, and a sad farewell to Megan and Greyson and their family, as this is the last anticipated book in the series.

The title "Demon Possessed" has a double meaning. On the surface, it seems to refer to the book's murder-mystery plotline, which involves several characters who may or may not be possessed by demons. But it also refers to Megan, who must decide in this installment whether to become fully "possessed" by Greyson, the demon world, and the demonic side of her own nature.

The interpersonal-relationships plotline is the real gem in Demon Possessed. Stacia Kane does a great job of portraying Megan as a modern career woman thrust into a demon society that's almost medieval in its treatment of women. Megan faces the work vs. family issue that so many women have to contend with, and due to the constraints of demon politics, she has fewer viable choices than most of us. She learns that Greyson must marry soon to secure his position, and that if she marries him, she'll have to give up her job for safety reasons. Her other options are becoming his mistress while he contracts an arranged marriage, or giving him up entirely. This dilemma leads to an absolutely wrenching fight between the two. Kane puts Megan and Greyson (and the reader) through the wringer, and just when you think it can't get any more painful, Malleus, Maleficarum, and Spud express their own feelings about the matter. I dare you not to need Kleenex while reading this scene!

There's also a mystery plotline, as mentioned above. It concerns an FBI agent snooping around a demon leaders' meeting, some grisly murders, and a Bible-thumping exorcist plying his trade just down the road from the meeting. Megan and friends must figure out how all these things are connected before they become the killer's next victims. There's a lot of adrenaline in this plotline, but it ultimately pales next to the Megan/Greyson plotline. The mystery's most harrowing moments come when it intersects with the love story. Each plot helps ramp up the tension in the other and, in the end, it's a complication in the murder plot that leads Megan to realize what she really wants.

Throughout the Megan Chase series, Stacia Kane has built an intricate demon world and populated it with distinctive characters and, along the way, she's honed her plotting skills (there aren't any moments in Demon Possessed where scenes feel missing or out of order). Here, everything comes together. Kane's world throws huge obstacles into her characters' lives, and the characters have been developed so well that it hurts to see them suffer! If you've been following Megan's story, you'll definitely want to read Demon Possessed and learn whether she and Greyson manage to work it out.

I don't know if Demon Possessed marks the third and final book in an urban fantasy trilogy or if the original three-book arc of the Megan Chase series is a stepping stone for further development of these characters. Honestly, it could go either way. I will say that what exists with Personal Demons, Demon Inside (Megan Chase, Book 2), and Demon Possessed is a satisfying enough (and occasionally frustrating enough) arc of character/story development that it feels complete. I sure wouldn't mind more about Malleus, Maleficarum, and Spud though - I LOVE those demons!

Where the first book, Personal Demons, introduced the characters, world, and mythos, and was a tight, conflict- and plot-driven urban fantasy that deals with Megan's past, and the second, Demon Inside, is a similarly driven urban fantasy that deals with Megan's present, Demon Possessed is only about 55% (the first 50% and the last 5%) is conflict- and plot-driven. The rest is a largely aggravating relationship-driven melodrama that looked to address Megan's future but did nothing to endear Megan Chase to me as a character. I haven't much cared for her since Personal Demons, actually. I barely tolerated her weeping and whining in the second book. I actively loathed her at times in this one and felt she either represented or acted out almost every negative stereotype that exists for a woman in a relationship. As a fan of both urban fantasy and paranormal romance, I have little affection for a character as consumed by her own stubborn humanity and resistance to change in the face of all logical - and emotional - reason to take life by the throat and triumph in the quest for your own life, pleasure, love, and satisfaction. And I detest hypocrisy in all forms, as well as the lack of any ability or interest in compromise. Because of this, Megan really offended not only the kick-ass heroine-lover in me, but the soul-deep romantic, as well. That's a pretty hard thing to overcome. In fact, there were more than a few times in Demon Possessed that I would've been perfectly okay with her timely demise. That's probably not what the author was going for.

All that being said, there were several redemptive aspects of Demon Possessed. While I wish there had been a better mix throughout the whole of the book that presented the balance between the relationship conflicts with Greyson and the external conflicts of someone ELSE trying to kill her (though that theme is getting a wee bit old by now) instead of so much of one being the sole focus of the first half of the book and so much of the other being the sole focus of the second half, overall both aspects really were important to the arc of the series. Combined, they did finally seem to achieve the goal of waking Megan up a bit to the reality of the world around her and the people inhabiting it and forced her to embrace both in a far more proactive, positive manner. I'll never fully understand why it took three books to do so, but that was the author's choice. Personally, I think the series would've been significantly more compelling if that sort of wake up call had happened in the second book and the third gave the reader some time with a stronger, more emotionally secure and powerful heroine...instead of a hypocritical, internal, insecure girl more likely to vomit on your shoes or sob on your shoulder when things got the toughest. But...that's just me.

And while I may have an issue or three with some of the choices Stacia Kane made for the character development of the star of her series, and one or two with the slight feeling of repetition in the formula of each book, I have no issue of her ability to spin an interesting and rich narrative with a complex mythology, a lot of danger, and a threat around every corner. There was nothing at ALL, however, I liked about the relationship conflict in this book. Honestly, it did little but piss me off and make me feel like the author was trying to emotionally manipulate me...that's significant because a good book is supposed to manipulate your emotions - while not making you feel like that's the intent.

Because the relationship between Grey and Megan was finally addressed (I've been not-so-patiently waiting), and because of one particular scene with Malleus, Maleficarum, and Spud that absolutely should NOT be missed, I'd rate this particular book a 3.5 stars...but as a trilogy, I think I'd only rate the entire reading experience as a 3 stars, simply because the story was well told, but not to my personal preference for the darker urban fantasy, and the lead character never really redeemed herself to me, even with the choices and progress made.

Stacia Kane has written a rich book full of all the things I love. It took me three hours to put this book away, I couldn't put it down. I loved the fact that each character has their own emotions and the history of the characters. I HATE that Stacia has no plans to add to this series because I would like to know what happens to Nick (Tara maybe?) Anyway, This series is a must for ANY reader of paranormal fiction!:o) *****

Megan Chase is not only a psychologist, but a psychic and the leader of a demon family. She has gotten used to dealing with paranormal things. After all, her best friend is a witch and she has a steamy demon lover, Greyson Dante. Megan and Greyson must attend a meeting of demon leaders. A week at a luxury hotel means they can spend some quality time with each other too. The downside is that the demon community will strongly suggest that Megan undergo the rite that will complete her transformation into a full demon.

Giving up her humanity is not something Megan wants to do. Not now and very possibly not ever. It would also mean that she would have to give up her psychology practice, as well as her radio show. But unless she does the rite, Megan will lose Greyson. If that is not bad enough, an FBI agent is snooping around. She wants to know what the meeting is about. To heighten the danger and confusion, a minister is holding weekend exorcisms just down the road. The reverend is more dangerous than anyone could possibly imagine. And just WHO is trying to kill Megan?

*** THREE STARS! Though fast paced and full of action, there are no real twists or surprises this time around. However, more details are revealed about Greyson and demon traditions in general. The major threat to everyone is exciting toward the end. Those who are keeping up with the series cannot afford to skip this one. The new details and Megan's changes, in various ways, are vital parts to the future titles. Author Stacia Kane writes with such ardor and distinction that it is no wonder to me as to why this series is so successful. ***

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I strongly recommend you read this series in order (Personal Demons and The Demon Inside) before reading this book. Will this be the last book in then Megan Chase saga? Quote from Stacia Kane's website "As of right now I don't have any further books planned, but never say never, right?"

Knowing that this series isn't as dark as I usually prefer a series to be did not keep me from enjoying it. The first half of this installment didn't consistently grab and hold my attention. There seem to be a lot of wordy explanations and not enough action or intrigue. However, the second half of this book's fast pace and exciting mystery did managed to capture my attention and keep me completely entertained.

If there are more additions to the Megan Chase series in the future, I will definitely read it; although, if there weren't, I wouldn't cry over it.

I recommend this romantic urban fantasy to fellow dark urban fantasy readers. I also look forward to Unholy Ghost, the first book in Stacia's new Downside series due out 5/25/2010.

I also recommend:
Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, Book 2)
Ecstasy Unveiled (Demonica, Book 4)
Soul Catcher (The Outsider Series)
Scorched: The Dark Forgotten
Speak of the Devil (Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist, Book 4)

Megan has a thing for demons. She is a psychologist and a psychic who works for herself. When a chance to visit a demon convention arises, she and her demon boyfriend decide to check it out. Little did she know that an FBI agent had a agenda that included turning Megan into a demon. With people coming at her left and right, she doesn't know where to turn. Will she be able to figure out what she needs to do before it's too late?

As a huge Urban Fantasy fan I have to say that this book has one of the best plots I've seen yet. Stacia delivers just the right amount of thrill and keeps readers intrigued from start to finish.

DEMON POSSESSED by Stacia Kane is a Urban Romantic Fantasy. This is a fast paced thriller,paranormal. It has romance, suspense, action, witches, demons and one powerful kick butt evil angel. This is the third in this author's Megan chase novels but can be read as a stand alone. I usually do not read fantasy/paranormal book, but this one was interesting fun to read, although the first two would have given you information on the past and stuff. This story is well written. The characters are strong. Megan must pick a side in this battle for survival. She must choose between her heart and her soul, demon or humanity. Greyson loves Megan but he to must choose his heart or his profession, he is trying to protect Megan from whoever is trying to harm her. The secondary characters are also strong and help carry the story along. It is easy to get involved in the story. Good vs evil even in the demon world. If you enjoy demons and witches you will enjoy this one.

This book was received for review and can be found at [...]

Megan Chase and her demon boyfriend, Greyson Dante are heading off to a retreat for a bunch of demon leaders. It is going to be on crazy time. All of Megan's demon friends want Megan to complete the ritual and release her demon inside and join them on the immortal side.

Megan and Greyson arrive at the resort. You can guarantee that there is never a dull moment when Megan is involved. A crazy lunatic is out to kill Megan. As if a crazy psycho is going to scare Megan when he hangs out with demons all day.

Demon Possessed is the third Megan Chase novel. I did not read the prior two novels. This is a time where I am wondering if it would have made a difference in my enjoying this book more. I say this not because I felt you had to read these books in order but because I wasn't fully invested in the characters from the beginning, so it took me a while to warm up to them and by then the book was half over. Having said all this, I thought this book had some high points. The ending was a bit of a twist. I liked Megan. She seemed to be the only sane person in this book, which I found funny as she is both a psychologist and psychic. I do plan to go back and check out Personal Demons and Demon Inside.